Bill and Jay Haas light up Reserve for a 17-under 55 to win Umpqua Bank Challenge

ALOHA – The second Umpqua Bank Challenge was highlighted by a scintillating run by Bill and Jay Haas, who went 14 straight holes of making either birdie or eagle before making their first par of the day

The Haases, needless to say, won the team best-ball event easily Tuesday, shooting a 17-under-par 55 to finish at 26 under and beat runners-up Steve Elkington and Scott McCarron by eight strokes at The Reserve Vineyards and Golf Club’s North Course.

“It was certainly a fun day with me and my dad,” Bill Haas said.

If the golf was spectacular at times, the crowds weren’t quite up to par with those at the inaugural event last year, when organizers guessed 15,000 fans showed up for three days at Portland Golf Club. This time, Peter Jacobsen Sports officials estimated a crowd of just over 10,000.

The fans who showed up Tuesday saw quite a performance by the Haases, especially Bill, who unofficially shot 60 on his own ball and had a chance at a 59, but made a par on the par-5 18th.

“Everything was going right,” he said. “Certainly would have liked to have gotten one more for the old 59 number, but it wouldn’t have been official. I didn’t putt out on 2.”

Bill Haas became one of the PGA Tour’s rising stars last year, when he won the Tour Championship and FedExCup. Jay Haas said he told his son that 2012 could be challenging as expectations for him would be higher. Bill Haas seemed to deal with those by winning the Northern Trust Open in February, but his form has fallen off since.

There was also the pressure of trying to make the Ryder Cup team, something Bill wanted after being a captain’s pick for the President’s Cup last year.

“I think he was thinking about that all year, in the back of his mind,” Jay Haas said. “I know I did when I was in good shape and trying to make it. It’s hard to not think about it and try to not put pressure on yourself.”

Bill Haas finished 17th on the Ryder Cup points list, but could still make the team as one of captain Davis Love III’s four picks, but he said it’s unlikely unless he can win this week’s Deutsche Bank Championship.

“Right now, no -- I need to win this week, and even then, I don’t know if I get picked,” Bill Haas said.

The Haases got their second victory as a team, to go with their 2004 win in the CVS Charity Classic (which is also run by Peter Jacobsen Sports). Bill had just turned pro when they won that event, but the motivation remained the same Tuesday.

“We have a ball playing together, and I think I get more fired up trying to impress him and make putts for him,” Bill Haas said. “We’ve played in things and haven’t won, so this is pretty special to put our names on the trophy.”

The Haases’ group drew the day’s biggest gallery, although much of it included fans wearing University of Oregon gear and cheering Ducks coach Casey Martin and partner Kyle Stanley.

The tournament’s other big draw was Lee Trevino, the 72-year-old Hall of Famer who displayed his still-impressive shotmaking and always-sharp wit. When McCarron made a long putt using his long putter, Trevino quickly chimed in.

“I said ‘go in’ because I was being nice – I didn’t want it to,” Trevino said, then adding, “Don’t worry about it. They’re going to make that putter illegal next year,” a reference to an ongoing debate about banning anchored putters.

Even if McCarron’s putter isn’t back, the Umpqua Bank Challenge should return in 2013 as the bank’s sponsorship deal has one year left. Jacobsen said he would love to build the tournament to the size and scope of the old Fred Meyer Challenge, which ran in the Portland area for 17 years before the grocery chain dropped out as title sponsor.

Jacobsen said he gets frustrated when he hears people pining for a regular tour event. There is not enough corporate money available in Oregon to provide the $8 million to $10 million in sponsorship needed to run a PGA Tour event, Jacobsen said. It takes about $3 million to run a Champions Tour event, he added.

“A special event like this really covers all bases,” he said. “You can pick any player you want. I think it’s the best of all worlds possible because you can pick and choose the best players and who you want.”